Well-drilling machine.



No. 730,340. PATETED JUNE 9, 1903.

' C. BIT'FIBRFIELDl WELL DRILLING MACHINE. 'PPLIUATION FILED Nov. 29, 1902.

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WELL DRILLING MACHINE. K

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Patented June 9, 190s.

OHAREES BUTTERFIELD, OF HAXTUM, COLORADO.

WELL-DRILLINGNIA'CHI'NE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,340,'da.ted13'une 9, 1903. Applicant fiieanwemhe 29, 1962. senti No. 133,253. (No moin.)

To @ZZ whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES BUTTERFIELD, a citizen of theUnited Statesresiding at HaX- tum, in the county of Phillips and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Well-Drilling Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to well-drilling machines.

The object of the invention is in a ready, simple, thoroughly feasible, and practical manner, with avoidance of intricate mechanism for the purpose and the necessity of attendance ofv an operator, automatically to cause the drill to have free and unimpeded descent and to eiect commencement of the lifting of the drill at the instant the blow is YVith the above and other objects in view,

as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists, generally stated, in a well-drilling machine embodying a clutch-controlled driving-gear, -a rocking-beam driving-gear in mesh therewith, and a pitman connecting the last-named gear` and the rocking beam, the beam -actuating gear being of suiciently greater diameter than the clutch-driven gear to cause the latter when the pitman-rod passes the dead-center to rotate at a speed greater than its drivingshaft, whereby the drill is permitted to have free and unimpeded fall;

The invention consists, further,in the novel construction and combination of parts of a well-drilling machine, .as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, there is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practicaloperatiom it being understood that the elements therein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, prop0rt-ion,and exact manner of assemblage without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in vertical longitudinal section through a machine characterizing the present invention. Fig. 2

is a view iutop plan. Fig. 3 is a viewin plan,

partly in section, of the drill-actuating mechanism.

Referring tothe drawings, 1 designates the vsupporting-frame ofthe apparatus, and 2 the der-rick, and as these parts may be of the usual or any preferredconstruction detailed illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary. Supported in any suitable manner upon the frame is a rope-reel 3, upon which is wound the drill-rope 4, which passes around a sheave 5 on the frame, thence around a sheave 6, earried 'by a rocking beam 7, and thence over a 65 'nects a pair of master-wheels 13, constituting the rockingbeam actuators. As shown in Fig.V 3, the master-wheels are spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit free and unimpeded movement of the pitman. Each of the master-wheels carries a shaft 14, which is journaled in' any preferred manner upon the su pportingfranie. The master-wheels mesh with a pair of gears l5, one of which is provided with a hub 16, having teeth 17 on its inner walls, the two gears l5 being held rigidly assembled by bolts 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The gears are supportedV upon a shaft 19, journaled in suitable bearings on the frame, that portion of the shaft disposed within the hub having an enlargement 20, which is peripherally grooved to present anges 22, between which are mounted pawls 23, the Ysaid pawls being held between the flanges by pins 24. The pawls may or may not be spring-actuated, and their inner ends e are adapted to bear against the shaft, thus to limit their movement in one directionpbut are free to rock in the oppositeV direction. The shaft 19 is driven from any source of power (not necessary to be shown) and carries .a fiy-wheel 25, as usual.

The machine of this invention depends largely for its proper operation in the differences in diameters between the clutch-driven gears and the rocking-beam-actuating gears,

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it being essential that the difference in diameter be sufficient to cause the beam-actuating gear to impart to the clutch-driven gear when the drill descends a speed greater than that of its driving-shaft, so that, in effect, the said shaft is to all intents and purposes stationary during the dropping of the drill. The manner in which this is effected will be readily understood by reference to Fig. l. The pitman-rod in this figure is shown as approaching the dead-center, and when the parts are in this position the pawls are in positive engagement with the teeth of the hub. As soon as the pitman passes the dead-center the weight of the drill will exert an upward draft upon it, whereupon the masterwheels-will be caused to rotate, and owing to the fact of their greater diameter as compared with the gears cause the latter to rotate upon their shaft at a speed in excess of its driving-shaft, andthe drill is then free to fall without restraint. The shaft 19 being continuously driven, as soon as the drill strikes, at which instant upward draft will cease to be applied to the pitman, the pawls will instantly operate to impart positive motion to the gears, and thus turn the master- Wheels again to lift the drill.

lt will be seen from the foregoing description that the operation of a drill-operating device such as herein disclosed is exceedingly simple of construction, but positive and certain in operation, and that owing to the fact that the lifting of the drill recommences at the instant of rebound after the impact no lost time will ensue, which is a common ohjection to most well-drilling machines on the market. Owing to the few number of parts of the machine,v danger of derangement in use is reduced to a minimum, and in case of damage repairs may readily and quickly be effected. y

Having th us described the invention, what I claim is- The combination in a machine of the class described of a supporting-frame, a derrick at one end of said frame provided at its top with a pulley adapted to support a drill-cable, a winding-drum for said drill-cable, a guidepulley arranged to the rear of said drum for the passage of said cable, a Walking-beam pivotally mounted on said frame forward of said Winding-drum and guide-pulley and provided on its upper surface with a cable-engaging pulley, operating mechanism for said Walking-beam 'comprising a pitman pivoted to the free end of said beam, a pair of parallel gears, and a piu connecting said gears and passing through said pitman, a drivingshaft, pulleys mounted on said shaft, a pair of gears mounted on said shaft and iu mesh with the gears to which said pitman is connected, and clutch mechanism between the driving-shaft and the gears mounted thereon comprising a plurality of internally-disposed ratchet-teeth in the hub of said gears and a plurality of pawls mounted on said shaft and adapted to engage with said internal ratchetteeth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES BUTTERFIELD,

Witnesses:

EDITH LENTZ, W. D. KELSEY. 

